Perioperative medicine is the medical care of patients from the time of contemplation of surgery through the operative period to full recovery. Perioperative care may be provided by an anesthesiologist,
Intensivist
An intensivist is a medical practitioner who specializes in the care of critically ill patients, most often in the intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensi ...
, an
internal medicine generalist or
hospitalist
Hospital medicine is a medical specialty that exists in some countries as a branch of family medicine or internal medicine, dealing with the care of acutely ill hospitalized patients. Physicians whose primary professional focus is caring for ho ...
working with surgical colleagues.
Background
Perioperative medicine encompasses the care of the patient preparing for, having and recuperating from surgery. In the practice of perioperative medicine the
surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
,
anesthesiologist
Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...
,
intensivist
An intensivist is a medical practitioner who specializes in the care of critically ill patients, most often in the intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensi ...
and medical consultant work in concert. The medical knowledge distinct to this field includes that of operative risk and complications, of patient specific risks, of methods to reduce risk, and of the management of medical illness during this time period. Evidence supporting
best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...
s in perioperative medicine is expanding, though historically this field has been directed by common practice and experience. It remains a field governed primarily by the art of medicine.
Notably, in the last decade, there has been a concerted effort by various anesthesia representative bodies to incorporate greater teaching into management of patients during the perioperative period. Specifically, annual summits have been held in the UK and US for a number of years, various courses exist to encourage this field of medicine and there is a PubMed listed journal dedicated to the field of Perioperative Medicine.
See also
{{portal, Medicine
*
Pre-anesthesia checkup Preanesthetic assessment (also called Preanesthesia evaluation, Pre-anesthesia checkup (PAC) or simply Preanesthesia) is a medical check-up and laboratory investigations done by an anesthesia provider or a registered nurse before an operation, to as ...
External links
Royal College of Anaesthetists 2014 vision document to contextualise and introduce the future care of patients contemplating surgery with examples from hospitals that have successfully implemented perioperative solutions in the UK.Perioperative Medicine journalPerioperative Medicine Short CoursePerioperative Medicine SummitPerioperative Interactive Education (PIE) - online learning resource
Anesthesiology
Hospital medicine
Surgery